Love Hurts
by H2P2
Summary: Ba Sing Se is celebrating Aang's victory over the Fire Lord. Aang dates a new girl, Kira, to try to let go of Katara, but after this new girl tries to do something unforgivable and an attack on the party occurs, Aang sees who his true love really is. R&R!


Star light. Star bright. The first star I see tonight. I wish I may. I wish I might. Have the wish I seek tonight. I wish owned Avatar: the Last Airbender. An hour later DAMN. I still don't own anything more than the plot of this story. Oh well:

This is my first Avatar fanfiction. And guess what? Flames are accepted! As long as they are helpful and don't curse at me. 

"Katara, are you okay?" Aang asked.

She snapped back to reality. She looked up to see Aang staring down at her with concerned eyes. She smiled, "I am fine Aang. Just tired."

Aang laughed, "Yeah, three hours of fighting with the fire lord really would exhaust anybody. Anyway, Ba Sing Se is celebrating our victory with a feast and parade. I can't wait! It's tomorrow, so we should get flying."

Katara nodded, "I'll be there in five minutes. Let me fill my water pouch real quick, and I will be right there."

"Okay," Aang said. He opened his glider and flew in the direction of camp. Katara watched him vanish into the trees and knelt before the river she sat next to. With a quick wrist flick, water flowed into her pouch. Then, she ran back to the camp.

Toph was relaxing on Appa playing with Momo. Sokka was finishing putting his sleeping bag in the new saddle that Appa wore. Aang appeared to be meditating on Appa's head. Quickly, she grabbed her stuff and climbed onto the flying bison. With a groan, Appa took off.

Katara sat quietly thinking about the victory parade and feast. She would love to ask Aang to go as her date, but, like all teenagers, she was scared of him saying no. Ever since the defeat of the fire nation, Aang had grown very popular with the ladies. At the time, Aang didn't really care. The fire lord had escaped to the Earth Kingdom before the battle. Aang and his friends tracked Ozai while their new allies, Iroh and Zuko, maintained control of the fire nation. Finally, they found Ozai and after hours of battle, they killed the legendary fire bender. The world was at peace.

For the last five days, the Gaang traveled around liberating any village they came upon. Now, Aang seemed to be enjoying all the attention he received. Yet, he always turned down any invites for a date.

This is what scared Katara. What could she, a water tribe peasant, do to impress the Avatar? After all, he didn't want to be her boyfriend. After what happened in the cave of two lovers, she had given up hope of him ever loving her.

"I wonder what he wants in a girl. He loves flirting, but he never really talks about a real relationship with anybody," she thought sadly.

She was once again knocked back to reality. This time, by Sokka poking her with his finger. She looked around and saw Ba Sing Se straight ahead. They landed just outside the gate. The Dai Li had sworn their allegiance back to the earth king after Azula tried to kill the group of elite earthbenders. The guards bowed low and without a word, opened the gate. They all walked through. The town was bustling with activity and preparation for the parade. Soon, excited and cheering people surrounded the group. A huge crowd followed them as they walked to the palace of the earth king. When they arrived, they were given instruction to their new rooms.

Along the way to their new quarters, they passed a group of well-dressed, noble girls. They giggled and waved to Aang. He was grinning broadly and waved back. Katara felt a surge of jealousy run through her.

As the girls left, one of them turned and waved her had in a sign to follow them and said, "Hey Avatar Aang, want us to give you a tour of the palace?"

Aang blushed. He never got used to being called Avatar Aang. "Sure," he said, "But call me Aang. None of this Avatar rubbish."

The girls beamed. Aang turned to his friends, "Do you guys want to come too?"

Sokka shook his head, "I gamble they don't want us to come." He then grinned, "They just want to flirt with you."

Aang grinned again, "Okay!" With that, he followed the girls retreating backs.

Toph sighed, "And there he goes again. He is always flirting, but he never asks a girl out."

Katara said nothing as she followed Toph and her brother to their rooms. Jealousy was building - again.

When they arrived, Katara bid them farewell, walked quickly into her room, and shut and locked the door. Then, she sat on the bed with her head in her hands. "Love hurts," she cried loudly as she finally broke down.

The next morning, Katara awoke to a slight knocking at the door. She pulled herself up and rubbed her face clean of the salt left over from her tears. The knock was repeated more urgently, and Katara heard Aang's voice, "Katara, are you in there? I need to talk to you."

She slowly opened the door. Aang stood there looking concerned. "Toph said you were crying last night. She could feel your vibrations. She said that I should see if you were okay."

Katara felt a bit of annoyance at Toph. She would talk to her later. She looked at Aang. He was barely an inch shorter than her, and he was growing fast. His gray eyes stared steadily at her as he waited for a response. Katara shrugged her shoulders, "She must have heard wrong. I am fine."

Aang shook his head, "Toph's senses never lie. She heard you say 'love hurts' during the night. What happened? Did somebody hurt you?"

"I am fine, Aang! Just leave me alone for a while okay!" Katara shouted angrily.

Aang looked hurt, but then his eyes grew cold, "Fine! I need to go see Kira anyway. She told me to meet her at the palace entrance for some reason."

He then walked away. Katara watched him go from her doorway, but he didn't turn his head. She walked back inside her room and closed the door. Hopefully, she could cry in peace for a while.

Aang walked slowly down the hall. Kira was the girl that called him to join her and her friends for a palace tour. He had agreed to see her again, but his worry about Katara and Toph's words had delayed him. And it was all a waste of time. "Katara doesn't want to tell me what is wrong. Well that's fine. Let her deal with her own problems. It's her problem, not mine."

He then ran the rest of the way down the palace and saw Kira waiting for him. She grinned, "Hey, Aang."

"Sorry I'm late. I got a little occupied."

"That's fine. Do you want to get some tea?"

"Sure. The party doesn't start till two, so we have plenty of time."

They walked into the city's busy streets and chatted as they walked to a nearby teashop. Aang looked at the sign. It said "Green Dragon Tea." Kira walked in, and Aang followed her. The teashop was a quaint little place with a scattered number of people (mostly couples) sitting at various tables.

Kira led the way to a table in the back. They ordered the tea and talked for over two hours while they were sipping on them. Aang was having a good time talking when the subject changed to a rather uncomfortable topic.

"Tell me Aang. Do you have a girlfriend?" Kira asked innocently but with a flash of excitement in her eyes.

Aang choked on his tea and coughed for a few seconds, but he responded, "Uh, no. I wish I did though. Being the Avatar is a hard job, and the opposite sex was something I rarely worried about."

"Can I fill in the position?" Kira asked quickly.

Aang gawked at her. _ But what about Katara? I love her… But she doesn't love me. I screwed up in the cave. This is a chance I can't pass up. Kira is really nice. _"That would be awesome," he said out loud.

When they arrived back at the palace, they had two hours before the party started. Aang was about to say good-bye when Kira closed the gap between them and began kissing him. Aang opened his eyes for a second before sinking into the kiss. After a while, they broke apart gasping for breath. Kira slowly whispered in his ear, "We can continue this in someplace more private." Then, she grabbed his hand and led him a short distance to what was obviously Kira's room.

She immediately closed the door and locked it. Before Aang could say anything, she was kissing him fiercely. After a few seconds, he began to return it. But something didn't feel right. It wasn't like the kiss he shared with Katara. Though it had meant nothing but to get out of the cave, it had felt… good. Aang pushed these feelings aside as Kira slowly opened her mouth. Aang followed suit and their tongues met.

Apparently, Kira wanted more as she began lifting his shirt. Being only fourteen, he was a bit reluctant but let her remove it. She suddenly broke the kiss and whispered into his ear, "Do I turn you on, Aang?"

Aang's hormones kicked in and he moved his head down her neck kissing her the whole way down," She shivered happily as Aang moved his hand along her back while the other one encircled her waist. Kira then began leading Aang to her bed. The minute they sat down (still kissing passionately), Kira pushed Aang down on the bed and rolled on top of him. Aang was starting to get nervous. He had never felt this way before. They stared at each other for about two minutes before Kira unbuttoned her dress and threw it on the ground. Aang gasped. She wanted more than deep make outing. She wanted sex.

Aang was fighting with himself silently. The monks had once taught him to respect sex and that it was meant to be for love, not for fun. But they weren't here were they? He barely knew Kira! He didn't love her. Even if she was his girlfriend, they had only known each other for two days. No, this wasn't right.

Meanwhile, Kira seemed to be growing bolder. She was reaching behind her to unclip her bra when Aang spoke, "Kira! Stop."

She looked at him in shock. "What do you mean? Don't you want me?"

Aang shook his head, "I may be a teenager and have hormones, but I will never become a slut!"

Kira's eyes flashed, "But, Aang, why would you pass up this opportunity? To find love in a girl that you deserve?"

This statement threw Aang in a fury, "I don't love you, and I never will now."

Kira's eyes tried to look sad, but Aang saw disappointment and anger instead as she shouted, "Fine! Run off to that little water tribe whore you always talk about. But remember what you missed out."

If Aang could get any angrier, he did. His eyes almost started to glow. "Katara is not a whore, and if anything, she deserves someone better than ME! But I love her. I hoped I could get over her and be with you, but I don't think it will happen anymore. I'm outta here!" he shouted as he grabbed his shirt. Before he closed the door, he turned his head and said, "Never come near me again." Then, he slammed the door.

Katara was just finishing up for the party when she heard Aang calling her name. She quickly left the chair she sat in and hid behind a long curtain. Aang appeared around the corner and entered her room. He sighed and muttered, "I'll find her at the parade." He left to get ready.

Katara waited a little while before stepping out from behind the curtain. She sighed in relief. "He probably just wants to talk about his new girlfriend," she said to herself.

The party was starting in ten minutes, and the city was bursting with excitement. The parade was about to start too. Aang and his friends were supposed to be at the head of the parade on Appa.

Sokka and Toph were waiting for Aang and Katara. They were currently discussing Toph's latest metalbending move. Then, Aang arrived on his glider. "Have you seen Katara?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I hope she's okay," Toph replied.

Sokka suddenly spotted her pushing through the crowd toward them. "She's here!"

Aang turned and gasped. She had never looked so beautiful. Her hair was down, and she was wearing a dress that showed off her curves perfectly. She also wore the necklace Aang gave her. This last part really startled Aang, but he felt good to know that she still liked his necklace.

Katara didn't even look at Aang as she climbed up onto Appa. Then, the horns trumpeted and the parade began. Everybody was cheering and having a great time. Everybody, except Aang and Katara. Their minds were on each other. That was when the explosion occurred.

Rock and debris flew everywhere as a blue streak of lightning hit the ground just behind Appa's tail. Appa groaned and without his owner saying yip-yip, jumped into the air. Lightning continued to fly towards them. This could only mean one thing. Azula.

They thought that Azula had been killed in the battle though her body was never found. Apparently, they were wrong.

The whole crowd was in an uproar. The lightning struck several people and fried them to dust. Then, they saw Azula running after them, blasting fire at anybody who got in her way. Appa rose higher when suddenly, a dagger whizzed past them. Mai must have survived too. Ty Lee was definitely dead because her body was found.

As the bison tried to avoid the flying daggers, he swerved too hard and Katara fell off. As she plummeted, a blue light flashed and struck her. She hit the ground and lay still. Aang saw Mai and Azula race to Katara. Everybody had fled the area, so there was nobody to stop them from finishing her.

Aang's rage and fear grew as Mai began to draw a dagger. His eyes and arrows glowed, and he jumped off the bison. Sokka and Toph knew enough that this was Aang's battle, and it was not safe to interfere. They stayed on Appa and watched the scene before them.

Aang landed on the ground on all fours. Mai threw dagger after dagger but Aang just walked towards them with the daggers hitting a thin but powerful shield of water and air created by the moist air. Then, Mai ran out of daggers and Aang reacted immediately. With a roar of fury that also came from all his past lives, he charged. Azula and Mai had no time to react as Aang shot fire, earth boulders, and razor sharp air at them. After a while, Aang drew his hands up and two rocks appeared on either side of the duo. With a flick, the boulders crashed together. Without opening them, he had them sink back under the ground again. Azula and Mai, the last major threat of the Avatar, were defeated.

Aang stopped glowing and ran to Katara. Toph and Sokka landed and raced over too. Aang was already holding her close. They all feared the worst when Katara opened her eyes. Aang was filled with joy. Katara smiled and whispered, "Well, that was an interesting party."

Aang nodded wearily and collapsed next to her.

Aang woke up in his room a few hours later. He immediately pulled on his shirt, and raced to Katara's. When he arrived, he saw Katara still sleeping. He smiled softly at her sleeping form and quietly left the room. As he was walking down the hall, he saw Sokka turn the corner. Going to him, Aang asked, "Is Katara going to be okay?"

Sokka grinned, "Yeah, she'll be tired for a while, according to the doc that looked over her, but she should make a full recovery. Thank the elements!"

Aang laughed in relief and said, "Well, what about the party?"

Sokka's face grew grim, "Azula and Mai killed over twenty people during the attack and wounded ten other. The area of the attack is being repaired and cleaned. The party was canceled."

Aang growled, "I should have made sure those bitches were dead. Well, there is no need to worry now."

Sokka nodded, "I should go see Katara. Coming?"

"No, I think I'll go to the training area and practice some bending. If you see Toph, tell her that I could use some help on one of those new earth bending moves."

Sokka nodded and walked into Katara's room. Aang then proceeded to a training area Kira showed him. It was designed for earth bending, but there was enough room for fire as well.

After an hour of fire bending, Aang began earth bending. Then, Toph came in. "You wanted me Twinkle Toes?" she asked.

Aang nodded, "Yeah. What did Katara do last night exactly?"

Toph thought a moment before replying, "She was crying half the night until she fell asleep. Before that, she practically screamed that love hurts."

"Yeah I know all that. You told me first, but why did you. Why not tell Sokka to see her and make sure she was okay. Why me?"

Toph sighed in frustration. "You just don't get it do you? She's in love with you, you bloody idiot!"

Aang shook his head, "No, I blew my chance in the Cave of Two Lovers."

"No, you didn't. I've talked to her. Every time we talk about you, her heart starts beating like mad. Believe me. That mean she loves you. And you do the same thing by the way so don't play stupid."

Aang stared at her in shock. He knew about her gifts, and she never lies about it. Without a word, he walked out of the practice area. Toph grinned. Her work here was done.

Aang continued to Katara's room. Sokka was gone, but Katara was awake. She was sitting on the edge of her bed bending water up and down from a jar in front of her. She looked up slightly as he entered. "Hey," she said quietly.

Aang walked over and sat next to her. "Katara, I need to ask you something."

She stopped bending and looked up. Aang took a breath, "I am sorry that I was such a flirt with that Kira girl. I realize now that she was a stupid slut, and that I was a fool."

Katara looked at Aang puzzled, "Exactly, where is this going, Aang?"

Aang stared at her, "I am really lousy at this considering I have little experience. However, I'll just say it outright. I was a fool with Kira because I didn't realize that the love of my life was with me the whole time. Katara, I love you."

Katara, who had turned her head away, turned to face Aang again. He was looking down sadly. She lifted his head with her hand. "I love you too, Aang. Always have and always will." Then, she kissed him.

All at once, both felt at peace. Aang thought back to his time with Kira. This kiss was different. It felt right. 

Well? What do you think? Please take some time to write a review. Any type of review is appreciated!


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